Critical Realism (CR) is, in my
view, the most promising general approach to social science for best
framing our research and theory. CR, as a philosophy of (social) science
(not a sociological theory per se), offers the best alternative to the
problems and limits presented by positivist empiricism, hermeneutical interpretivism, strong social constructionism, and
postmodernist deconstruction. It is the meta-theoretical direction in which
American sociology needs to move.

CR is a significant position
within which scholars work in Britain, Scandinavia, and Europe. Yet few
American sociologists are aware of the substance and importance of the CR account.
CR is a genuinely alternative approach to reality and social science that
requires serious, focused study and intellectual re-tooling in order to
learn well enough to not simply fall back into the old assumptions,
instincts, and paradigms. I suggest that those interested in learning CR
read the following (mostly linked) chapters, books, and articles, roughly
in the sequence specified.

1. A First, Quick Overview:Begin by reading these two short, easy works:

Mats Ekström,
1992, “Causal Explanation of Social Action: The Contribution of Max
Weber and of Critical Realism to a Generative View of Causal Explanation in
Social Science,”ActaSociologica, 35: 107-122.